Utilities are in the midst of making the necessary preparations for stabilizing the power grid so that a decade from now, consumers can rely on their energy supply.

Those preparations include a deep education on energy storage options and the beginning stages of decision-making around how to implement energy storage for grid stabilization, especially as more renewables are added to the grid.

And the addition of renewables is the way of the future—policymakers in the U.S. and abroad continue to press for higher amounts of renewable energy sources as a strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One example of an ambitious effort is the California mandate that by 2030, half of the state’s electricity will be derived from renewable energy.

For a closer look at the grid energy storage technologies available, the San Diego Union Tribune interviewed Dr. Kim McGrath, senior director of marketing and business development at Maxwell Technologies. In a video, Dr. McGrath discusses ultracapacitors, also called supercapacitors or electric double-layer capacitors, and their ability to improve grid power quality and firm renewable energy.

An ultracapacitor is an energy storage device that’s capable of rapidly charging and discharging to deliver high power for a number of different applications, including grid and microgrid, transportation (automotive, bus and rail) and renewable energy.

Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, are intermittent. The challenge is creating a plan to be able to support renewables on a grid that was designed for traditional energy sources such as coal-fired electric generating plants.

Current energy challenges such as the global need to decrease emissions, increase the amount of renewables on the grid, and improve power quality and reliability are driving an immense opportunity for ultracapacitor energy storage and storage in general.

The market is moving rapidly and the need to reduce emissions becomes more pressing. To add more renewables to the grid, utilities require a flexible and affordable energy storage solution. The industry is at a significant tipping point, and ultracapacitors are finding their place as a key technology.

Consumers desire benefits in terms of clean energy and reliability of energy and also demand affordable pricing. Grid energy storage is an enabling technology that will reduce the need to complete complex, time-consuming and costly upgrades to grid infrastructure.

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